TTA Tour returns with much anticipated Melbourne event

After a successful first leg in Canberra in March, the 2022 TTA Tour returns in just a few days’ time, with the next stage of the tour to be played in Melbourne over the Easter weekend (16-17 April).

More than 160 athletes from six States and Territories will face off at Croydon & Districts Table Tennis Association in the second of four events that make up this year’s tour, with tournaments in Sydney and Brisbane being held later in the year.

TTA has received 327 individual entries for the Melbourne event, a new record for the Tour.

The TTA Tour was piloted last year to provide Australian athletes with additional opportunities to compete in national-level events. It has now developed into a full tour and TTA is very pleased with the success of the Canberra event and the growth of the format, including the record entries.

TTA CEO Scott Houston said these results were evidence of how well the project has been received by the Australian table tennis community, and that TTA is keen to continue showcasing the country’s premier athletes and our young talents in a fresh competitive environment.

“We are obviously very excited to hold the first TTA Tour event in Melbourne after the unfortunate cancellation of last year’s event, which was affected by the COVID-19 lockdown," he said.

“I am sure the Victorian table tennis community awaits this event with anticipation and it’s fantastic to be able to bring the TTA Tour to a key area for Australian table tennis this year, even more so after the recent announcement that the 2026 Commonwealth Games will be held in the State,” Houston added.

Houston added that the first TTA Tour event in Canberra was a success in terms of participation, giving the opportunity to many interstate players to travel and compete.

“We’ve also been treated to many spectacular and close games, with some of our most accomplished players being challenged by the new generation of talents, who took the opportunity to make their mark,” he said.

In fact, it was two young and upcoming players who secured the gold medals in the Open Singles categories in Canberra, despite a significant presence Olympians in the draw. In the end, 21-year-old Alex Lee and 17-year-old Sanaya Buddhadasa claimed gold - they will both be in Melbourne to defend their titles.

In the men’s draw, Lee is seeded at number six, with Olympians Chris Yan (no.1) and David Powell (no.3) included in a group of title contenders that also features another Victorian top player, Sanish Ambekar, seeded at no.2. The top-8 seeds will enter the tournament directly from the Round of 16, with a six-group Round Robin stage and a knock-out Round of 32 played to qualify the rest of the field.

Two female members of the Australian Olympic Table Tennis team for last year’s Tokyo Games will be playing in the Women’s Open event, with six-time Olympian Jian Fang Lay seeded no.1, just ahead of Melissa Tapper. All eyes will be on young Buddhadasa though, as the youngster will be looking for another upset.

Buddhadasa was impressive in Canberra, not only beating 2018 Commonwealth Games representative Tracy Feng in the Women’s Singles final but also picking up medals in the U21, U19 and U17 categories.

The women’s draw will feature two Round Robin groups, with the top two athletes in each group advancing to the semi finals.

Along with the Men’s and Women’s Open Singles, there will also be 14 other categories across boys and girls in age groups ranging from Under 11 to Under 21, along with two Para events (Class 1-5 and Class 6-11).

Competition starts at the Croydon & Districts Table Tennis Association on Saturday 16 April at 8.30am AEST and concludes in the evening of Sunday 17 April. Matches on Saturday will be live-streamed by TTA's long-term broadcast partner, My Sport Live, on TTA Facebook page.

You can find the draws and full information here.